Need Potato Gun Suggestions

kevinthenerd

Platinum Member
Jun 27, 2002
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I just built a potato gun with a barrel made of 1/2" PVC. I was originally going to launch paintballs with it (with wadding for a better seal), but I know that's going to get boring. I need suggestions on what to launch.
 

NatePo717

Diamond Member
Jun 6, 2005
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I have a 6' 2" dia potato cannon at home. Have to use propane to fire it :p It's got some serious kick back. Blew a few shingles off our little playhouse in the back yard from 100 yards away. Unfortunatly I think the grill lighter we used to fire it is broken :(
 

Bassyhead

Diamond Member
Nov 19, 2001
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How about cherry tomatos or large grapes, if you want to go the food route? I beveled the muzzle of my spud gun so it cuts potatoes as I push em in.
 

kevinthenerd

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Jun 27, 2002
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Originally posted by: NatePo717
I have a 6' 2" dia potato cannon at home. Have to use propane to fire it :p It's got some serious kick back. Blew a few shingles off our little playhouse in the back yard from 100 yards away. Unfortunatly I think the grill lighter we used to fire it is broken :(

I hope you mean six feet and two inches in LENGTH, not diameter.

As far as fuel I think I want to use ethanol, but I'm undecided. I hear a couple of drops of gas go a long way too.

I jury-rigged (aka Ethnic Engineered) a sparking mechanism with two screws in the pipe opposing eachother with a slight gap between them. The heads are soldered to wires that go to the circuitry from a modified one-time-use camera. (I took the Xenon bulb out and wired it to the high voltage.) I added a remote switch that gives me an extra six feet of safety, but it can be easily modified to give me more range when I decide to use exotic fuels.

The whole thing is wrapped in duct tape to hopefully slow down the PVC shards WHEN (not if) it blows up.
 

Anubis

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Aug 31, 2001
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Originally posted by: kevinthenerd
Originally posted by: NatePo717
I have a 6' 2" dia potato cannon at home. Have to use propane to fire it :p It's got some serious kick back. Blew a few shingles off our little playhouse in the back yard from 100 yards away. Unfortunatly I think the grill lighter we used to fire it is broken :(

I hope you mean six feet and two inches in LENGTH, not diameter.

As far as fuel I think I want to use ethanol, but I'm undecided. I hear a couple of drops of gas go a long way too.

I jury-rigged (aka Ethnic Engineered) a sparking mechanism with two screws in the pipe opposing eachother with a slight gap between them. The heads are soldered to wires that go to the circuitry from a modified one-time-use camera. (I took the Xenon bulb out and wired it to the high voltage.) I added a remote switch that gives me an extra six feet of safety, but it can be easily modified to give me more range when I decide to use exotic fuels.

The whole thing is wrapped in duct tape to hopefully slow down the PVC shards WHEN (not if) it blows up.

he means 6 feet long useing a 2in PVC pipe, ive made many that size and larger in diameter, firing grapefroots is AWSOME
 

giantpinkbunnyhead

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 2005
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Just a half inch?? That's like a pea-shooter!

Well... you could shoot marbles... or grapes.... or those Whoppers malted candies...
 

NoMoMoney

Member
Feb 17, 2005
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I have a 6 foot long 2" diameter barrel compressed air cannon. I shot PVC 'missles' with it. Take 1.5" pipe and put caps on it (fill with dirt before sealing the missle). Also, I shot ears of corn straight up and it comes down husked. Paint balls I use a styrofoam cup to create a shell for them, I can load 6 or so shells each containing 10 or so paintballs.

My compressed air cannon reloads quicker and had no clean up. Shoots more consistently then the gas powered ones. The air resivoir is about 5.5 feet of 2" PVC.
 

kevinthenerd

Platinum Member
Jun 27, 2002
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Originally posted by: Anubis
Originally posted by: kevinthenerd
Originally posted by: NatePo717
I have a 6' 2" dia potato cannon at home. Have to use propane to fire it :p It's got some serious kick back. Blew a few shingles off our little playhouse in the back yard from 100 yards away. Unfortunatly I think the grill lighter we used to fire it is broken :(

I hope you mean six feet and two inches in LENGTH, not diameter.

As far as fuel I think I want to use ethanol, but I'm undecided. I hear a couple of drops of gas go a long way too.

I jury-rigged (aka Ethnic Engineered) a sparking mechanism with two screws in the pipe opposing eachother with a slight gap between them. The heads are soldered to wires that go to the circuitry from a modified one-time-use camera. (I took the Xenon bulb out and wired it to the high voltage.) I added a remote switch that gives me an extra six feet of safety, but it can be easily modified to give me more range when I decide to use exotic fuels.

The whole thing is wrapped in duct tape to hopefully slow down the PVC shards WHEN (not if) it blows up.

he means 6 feet long useing a 2in PVC pipe, ive made many that size and larger in diameter, firing grapefroots is AWSOME

"Froot loops" is a good cereal, but I prefer eating grapefruit. :wink;
 

kevinthenerd

Platinum Member
Jun 27, 2002
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Originally posted by: giantpinkbunnyhead
Just a half inch?? That's like a pea-shooter!

Well... you could shoot marbles... or grapes.... or those Whoppers malted candies...

I made it small because it's my first one. (The whole thing is 6 feet long from end to end, though. :evil: )
 

kevinthenerd

Platinum Member
Jun 27, 2002
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Originally posted by: MIKEMIKE
use hair spray, it works plenty well.

Hairspray gunks up the ignition and everything else. I would definitely prefer a cleaner fuel such as ether starting fluid. Even spray paint is better because the paint itself burns away with the propellant.
 

Anubis

No Lifer
Aug 31, 2001
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Originally posted by: kevinthenerd
Originally posted by: Anubis
Originally posted by: kevinthenerd
Originally posted by: NatePo717
I have a 6' 2" dia potato cannon at home. Have to use propane to fire it :p It's got some serious kick back. Blew a few shingles off our little playhouse in the back yard from 100 yards away. Unfortunatly I think the grill lighter we used to fire it is broken :(

I hope you mean six feet and two inches in LENGTH, not diameter.

As far as fuel I think I want to use ethanol, but I'm undecided. I hear a couple of drops of gas go a long way too.

I jury-rigged (aka Ethnic Engineered) a sparking mechanism with two screws in the pipe opposing eachother with a slight gap between them. The heads are soldered to wires that go to the circuitry from a modified one-time-use camera. (I took the Xenon bulb out and wired it to the high voltage.) I added a remote switch that gives me an extra six feet of safety, but it can be easily modified to give me more range when I decide to use exotic fuels.

The whole thing is wrapped in duct tape to hopefully slow down the PVC shards WHEN (not if) it blows up.

he means 6 feet long useing a 2in PVC pipe, ive made many that size and larger in diameter, firing grapefroots is AWSOME

"Froot loops" is a good cereal, but I prefer eating grapefruit. :wink;

wow i need more coffee, that was bad
 

LordMorpheus

Diamond Member
Aug 14, 2002
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I built a spud cannon a while ago. 8 or 9' long 2" barrel, really big air resevoir. Anyway, we took a steel pipe, cut an end at an angle, filled it with concrete . . . we shot that mug in one side of a tree and out the other. It was amazing. Left a pretty clean hole, too.
 

kevinthenerd

Platinum Member
Jun 27, 2002
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Originally posted by: FallenHero
Ether and Pure Oxygen...do it!

I already have plans for my third potato gun. It's going to be made of thick galvanized steel. I want to use acetylene as the propellant. I think I want to launch energy drink cans, prepared by first filling them with molten solder and then allowing them to cool. It'll be schweeeet.

or maybe I'll finish making that nitromethane powered gokart like I've been meaning to lately...

I should seriously videotape this stuff so I can post it later when accidents start happening.
 

kevinthenerd

Platinum Member
Jun 27, 2002
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Originally posted by: LordMorpheus
I built a spud cannon a while ago. 8 or 9' long 2" barrel, really big air resevoir. Anyway, we took a steel pipe, cut an end at an angle, filled it with concrete . . . we shot that mug in one side of a tree and out the other. It was amazing. Left a pretty clean hole, too.

What did you use as a propellant?
 

kevinthenerd

Platinum Member
Jun 27, 2002
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WOW, I just found out that engine starting ether will burn all the way from 1.8% (LEL) to 48% (UEL). That's the best range of any commonly available fuel that I've seen so far!

A wide range of explosivity is good because it requires less control in the metering of fuel. (A high UEL is bad, however, because it means that if I accidently put in too much, it'll still burn with enough efficiency to get me into trouble!)

Edit: Prestone starting fluid will burn from 1.85% to 36.5%
 

kevinthenerd

Platinum Member
Jun 27, 2002
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How about a 3/4" barrel? I just found some of that in my garage that I had left over from something else.
 

kevinthenerd

Platinum Member
Jun 27, 2002
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Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Posting on a site that you're making a homemade incindiary is probably a dumb idea. :p

- M4H

Isn't this legal? It's not like I'm going to point it at anybody or at property that isn't mine.
 

Eli

Super Moderator | Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
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Do NOT use PVC for potato guns!

It is too brittle.

Use ABS(the black stuff).